Bolivia Reopens Roads Under Emergency Powers as Patrol Plane Crash Kills Six

Bolivian authorities are clearing the anti-government roadblocks that had cut off major cities, after President Rodrigo Paz declared a state of emergency. A patrol aircraft monitoring the unrest crashed during the operation, killing six people.

The blockades, driven largely by groups aligned with the former president Evo Morales, had triggered severe shortages of food and fuel and left lorries stranded across the country.

Parliament approved the emergency decree, granting the government wider powers to reopen transport routes after weeks of disruption.

Roads reopen, tensions linger

Most roadblocks have reportedly been suspended or dismantled. Yet unease persists in Chapare, Morales's political stronghold and a centre of coca grower union power, where security forces have advanced cautiously for fear of confrontation.

The economic toll has been heavy, with losses estimated in the billions of dollars and supply chains badly strained.

A fatal turn

The crash of the Bolivian Air Force patrol plane added a grim dimension to an already volatile crisis. The aircraft was monitoring conditions at the blockades when it went down, killing the military personnel on board.

Authorities have opened an investigation into the cause.

A deepening political divide

The standoff has widened Bolivia's political fault lines. The government accuses Morales-linked groups of seeking to destabilise the country, while protesters allege that Paz is using emergency powers to silence dissent.

The decree is set to run for up to 90 days, though officials have indicated it could be lifted sooner if order returns. For now, the road-clearing operation has relieved pressure on supply routes without resolving the underlying conflict.